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Watauga County native and internationally celebrated author Tom Robbins caps off another productive year this July 22nd. Happy birthday Tom! Mr. Robbins has recently published 'Tibetan Peach Pie: a True Account of an Imaginative Life,' his eleventh book. Robbins will be visiting ASU in this Fall Semester and will speak this September 11th at 7pm in Rosen Concert Hall.

“At birth we are red-faced, round, intense, pure. The crimson fire of universal consciousness burns in us. Gradually, however, we are devoured by our parents, gulped by schools, chewed up by peers, swallowed by social institutions, wolfed by bad habits, and gnawed by age; and by that time we have been digested, cow style, in those six stomachs, we emerge a single disgusting shade of brown. The lesson of the beet, then, is this: hold on to your divine blush, your innate rosy magic, or end up brown. Once you’re brown, you’ll find that you’re blue. As blue as indigo. And you know what that means, Indigo. Indigoing. Indigone.” -Tom Robbins, Jitterbug Perfume

Appalachian State University Libraries are very excited to bring acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Tom Robbins to the Appalachian State University campus during the Fall 2014 semester. Robbins has just released his memoir, Tibetan Peach Pie: A True Account of an Imaginative Life, and for the first time in more than 70 years he will return to Watauga County, the place of his childhood.

Mark your calendars for his visit, Thursday, September 11, 2014 at 7:00 PM, at Rosen Concert Hall, an intimate venue to hear from this author, who’s been said to use black-belt ninja word skills to write books that critics call hyper imaginative and magical.

Tom Robbins was just a boy when he lived in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, but it was here where he began pounding out stories with his “talking stick."

"Allowed to roam freely in both the streets and the woods, I observed and interacted not only with the wonders of nature but with an assortment of squirrel hunters, rabbit trappers, berry pickers, banjo pickers, moonshiners, tramps, real Gypsies, snake handlers, mule-back preachers (like my grandpa), eccentric characters with names such as Pink Baldwin and Junebug Tate, and perhaps most influential, bib-overalled raconteurs, many of whom spun stories as effortlessly and expertly as they spit tobacco juice." Tibetan Peach Pie: A True Account of an Imaginative Live

We will host an entire week of events to celebrate the homecoming of this author, who influenced the lives of a generation and beyond, including Alumnus and University Library Advisory Board Chair Craig Popelars. Our thanks to Craig for making this visit a reality. More information is forthcoming, including opportunities for faculty to incorporate this once-in-a-lifetime event into their syllabi, and an opportunity to meet and mingle with this writer's writer.

This might be your last chance to see Tom Robbins, who is now in his 80s - this is his last hurrah in writing and touring. Come indulge your unconventional and wilder side- and read or re-read one of his great books:

Celebrate Tom Robbins Week with Appalachian State University Libraries!

Internationally-renowned novelist and Blowing Rock native Tom Robbins returns home for the first time in more than seven decades, and with a new book, Tibetan Peach Pie: A True Account of an Imaginative Life. This is a rare southern stop for the author of multiple cult classics including Another Roadside Attraction, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, and Skinny Legs and All.

Take a Trip with Tom Instagram Contest Ongoing, with winner announced September 9, 2014. Entering the Belk Library “Take a Trip with Tom” contest is easy!

1. Come to the library and checkout a Tom Robbins fan face

2. Take an awesome photo using it

3. Upload it to Instagram

4. Tag it #takeatripwithtom

***Please make sure that your app is set to allow public posting of photos. Go to Edit Your Profile, and turn “photos are private” to off.

The winning photographer will meet Tom Robbins, receive an autographed copy of Tibetan Peach Pie: A True Account of an Imaginative Life, and a front row seat at his September 11th reading in Rosen Concert Hall.

Second and Third place winners will receive front row seating and autographed copies of his memoir.

We will also have weekly random drawings for gift cards to The Wired Scholar

Movie: Even Cowgirls Get the BluesTuesday, September 9, 10:00 p.m.Room 114 Belk Library and Information CommonsFree popcorn and free copies of the new memoir Tibetan Peach Pie to the first three people through the door.

Welcome Home ReceptionWednesday, September 10, 6:00 p.m.Blowing Rock Art and History MuseumTickets $75 each includes an autographed copy of Tibetan Peach Pie, preferred seating at the September 11 speaking engagement and an opportunity to meet Tom Robbins. Click here to purchase your ticket.

A True Account of an Imaginative LifeThursday, September 11, 7:00 p.m.Schaefer Center for the Performing ArtsDoors open: 6:30 p.mTickets for the Thursday, September 11th event are free and will be available on a first come first reserved basis beginning August 20. The best way to get the tickets is to call the Schaefer Center box office at 828-262-4046 or 800-841-2787. We will mail the tickets to the patron if they would like for us to.

Our e-resources highlight of the month is Mountain People: Life and Culture in Appalachia, which is a database containing primary resources such as "diaries, journals, and narratives of explorers, emigrants, military men, Native Americans, and travelers. In addition, there are accounts on the development of farming and mining communities, family histories, and folklore. These accounts provide a view of the of the vast region between Lexington, Kentucky and Winchester, Virginia, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Birmingham, Alabama, which spans three and a half centuries and provides information on the social, political, economic, scientific, religious and agricultural characteristics of the region."

The date range is 1700s - 1950s and the database contains over 42,122 images.

Take some time and explore the "Mountain People: Life and Culture in Appalachia" database.

We also have the content of this database available in microfiche format in Special Collections on the 4th floor of the library.

Robert “Bob” Inman, a favorite Southern author will read from his latest and fifth novel, The Governor’s Lady, on Thursday, June 19, at 3:30 p.m. in Room 421 of the Belk Library and Information Commons. The event is part of the Summer Author Series sponsored by Appalachian State University Libraries, and the Richard T. Barker Friends of the Library Board. It is free and open to the public. It will begin at 3:30 p.m., with refreshments and a book signing to follow. Free parking is available in the attached parking garage. For more information contact Lynn Patterson at 828-262-2087. Click Here for More Information

That’s why Brianne Harris is bringing Knox to the Belk Library and Information Commons, so students can relieve a little stress.Knox is a Canine Good Citizen, and registered with Therapy Dogs, Incorporated. In other words, Knox knows how to be a good listener, and is great for hugging.

“The idea of pets as stress relievers has taken off across campuses nationwide, especially during the end of semester exam time,” said User Services Librarian Geri Purpur, who worked to get Knox some people time. “Dogs can provide comfort in a way people cannot, and can be a positive reminder of home during the chaos of these final weeks.”

Knox’s handler Brianne Harris, Appalachian 2012 Psychology alumna says the Great Pyrenees has already begun visits to Deerfield Ridge Assisted Living, as well as Life Care Center of Banner Elk.

Belk Librarians and staff have taken up a collection to buy Knox an Appalachian State University t-shirt, so look for the really hairy, big guy in an App T-shirt surrounded by students in need of some soothing.

Dance in Video from Alexander Street Press contains over 900 hundred hours of productions and documentaries by the most influential performers and companies of the 20th and 21st centuries, featuring ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, experimental, and improvisational dance. Films feature many of the greatest dance companies and performers worldwide, including Agnes de Mille, Mark Morris, Lestor Horton, Anna Sokolow, Anthony Tudor, Jose Limon, Paul Draper, and Chuck Green. Dance in Video also includes an array of rare and hard-to-find archival material, including footage from the George Balanchine Interpreters Archive and Archive of Lost Choreography, and historical footage from Creative Arts Television, featuring dance performances from 1950s and 1960s CBS television productions.

The collection is indexed to meet the specific search needs of dance faculty and students. Search and browse by performer, dance company, technique, genre, choreographer, and more. Clip-making tools, personalized playlists, and annotations let you integrate content straight into your syllabus or LMS.